What went wrong with the Honeymoon at workplace?

I guess I don’t need to explain what we mean by Honeymoon period for a new hire. Right?

Why does the first few months, the time you really need to engage a new hire, have to be the Honeymoon period that doesn’t last long afterall?

A new job, a supportive manager, friendly colleagues, great work culture – like every new relationship, the first thing every new hire wants to know is what is it like to be a part of the team. Do I see myself continuing with them? Am I being valued among the team members? Can I achieve my career goals working in this new role, in a new company and with a new team?

Well, I am sure most companies do a fair enough job when it comes to attracting the talent by telling them all the great things about their organization. But what happens when the candidate becomes an employee and steps inside your organization. A mediocre manager, the job profile that is different from what’s been offered, filthy politics and anything that is contrary to their expectations can make a new hire question the decision that he made to join your company! And it will continue to disrupt him and lead to disengagement!

What went wrong with the Honeymoon at Workplace

Lack of Information

A new hire steps inside your organization with all the great expectations, wanting to contribute and be engaged. But it won’t last long when he realizes that his manager is busy attending week long business meetings and doesn’t even have time to at least talk to him or answer his questions. Take time to have meaningful one on one conversations with your new employees to really understand what they feel about their new workplace, what you as a manager can do to help him and what he needs to succeed in his new assignment with the company.

Leads to early disengagement

Well, if you are wondering why your new hire quit the company within the first three to six months, then chances are there he didn’t quiet feel like it’s home for him or he didn’t see his profile align with the organization’s or team’s goal. If managers don’t take the time to explain what is expected from him or what their key result areas are then he will be confused and it can effect his performance. Having the right information and resources can help him do his job better and can make him productive faster. Explain to him, how his contribution can really make a huge impact. Connect the dots, otherwise it can prove to be costly.

Doesn’t feel connected to the team

It takes time to build a relationship but it is difficult to build a relationship if he feels like he doesn’t belong there. Show how you value him as a person and how geeked you are for having him as a team member. Assign a mentor or buddy to help him understand your organization’s culture, take him outside for lunch, have get togethers to help him get to know others in your team and make him feel like he is one among you.

Doesn’t see the value in continuing

This would be the worst thing that can happen to any new hire. Within the first six months to one year a new hire may lose his excitement, job becomes a routine task and he starts feeling stale about his work and workplace. Not having something new to learn from his job or not having a career advancement opportunity within the organization can make your new hire totally disengaged. Give him constructive feed back about their job, recognize his effort and coach him if he needs to improve on something. Explain to him if there is a room for him to grow within the organization, that keeps him engaged.

What do you think? How can an organization turn around this honeymoon period to really engage their new hires?